News Scanner

Wednesday November 30

It’s common knowledge that Apple has been very interested in developing hardware and software (likely associated with the Apple Watch) for various aspects of the healthcare industry. The problem is, as Cook said a year ago, Apple isn’t crazy about having to put the Apple Watch through the FDA process.

If you had to replace your iMac display hinge because the screen kept tilting forward, Apple is ready to give you a refund.

According to a new internal service document, Apple will be offering refunds to customers who paid to repair or replace a faulty iMac hinge. In the service document, Apple admits that some 27-inch iMac models shipped between December 2012 and July 2014 may have been affected by an issue with the display hinge. It would not be able to support the weight of the screen, making it impossible to adjust because it just kept tilting forward. Apple sent the internal service document to Apple Authorized Service Providers, and it was then obtained by MacRumors.

Earlier today Apple updated its website where customers can send in an old device for recycling to include the Apple Watch. That means that customers can now send their old Apple Watch to be responsibly recycled through the company’s Apple Renew program free of charge, but it’s not offering customers a gift card or any credit in exchange like it does with iPhones, iPads, and Macs.

The team behind the media management service Plex, has announced that their Plex Media Player app has now gone free for all users alongside the official first release of Plex for Kodi. The latter announcement might pique the interest of those building custom home theater configurations that still want the freedom of control offered by Kodi.

Apple on Wednesday supplied developers with a fourth pre-release beta of tvOS 10.1, a forthcoming update that will bring a new universal "TV" app, as well as single sign-on support for TV providers, to the company's streaming set-top box.

Amazon is developing a premium version of its Alexa-powered Echo speaker, which will have a 7-inch touchscreen, in a bid to stave off competition from Google and other companies developing rival offerings, Bloomberg reported Tuesday. Designed for use in the kitchen, the new device would have an upward-tilting touchscreen that would permit a user to swipe controls from a standing position. The development would mark an important moment for integrating artificial intelligence with automated home devices.

Apple has released the fourth tvOS 10.1 developer beta for the fourth generation Apple TV. The upcoming software update so far has included early hooks for Apple’s new single sign-on feature which lets you authenticate with your cable provider to unlock all compatible paid video apps. tvOS 10.1 will also include Apple’s new TV app when it launches in December.

Yes – there are “better” (cheaper, faster) wireless routers available but, when it comes to ease of use, set up and what I recommend to non-techies, it has always been Apple wireless routers. Which makes the reports of them being discontinued even more disheartening.

In an email reply to a frustrated customer, Tim Cook has given a hint to when Apple’s AirPods will ship, MacRumors reports. In response to the customer complaint that he can’t charge his iPhone while listening to music, Cook allegedly wrote in regards to AirPods, “Sorry for the delay—-we are finalizing them and I anticipate we will begin to ship over the next few weeks.” MacRumors seems to believe the email is legit,…

After delaying the release of its new cord-free wireless headphones called AirPods, Apple has today reportedly confirmed the product is expected to ship over the next few weeks. The confirmation comes via an alleged email from CEO Tim Cook to a customer (via Macrumors), but Apple has yet to make an official announcement or comment.

You see, traditional virtual instruments are sample-based, meaning that sound is produced by triggering recorded samples of instruments. MODO BASS isn’t a sample-based instrument, but rather a completely new technology where sound is generated by recreating the physical properties of a real instrument — everything that makes an instrument create sound is physically modeled and sound is synthesized in real time.

Apple has issued an update to Boot Camp drivers within Windows, preventing the random, loud pops from over-ranging and damaging the new MacBook Pro's speakers. However, the driver doesn't fix speakers already damaged by the problem.

“When we catch you, and we will catch you,” the department added, “on top of a hefty fine, a criminal charge and a years driving suspension we will also provide you with a bonus gift of playing the offices copy of Nickelback in the cruiser on the way to jail.”

A recent customer satisfaction survey of home router technologies places Apple comfortably on top of the heap, despite recent reports of the division closing down, and engineers re-assigned to other projects.

Sources at Banco Santander are claiming that Apple Pay will launch in Spain tomorrow, Spanish site Applesfera reports. Santander customers in the UK can already use the mobile payment service, and barring any unforeseen difficulties, sources at the bank said a public announcement about the launch in Spain will be made tomorrow morning. Apple Pay had a rocky start during its recent launch in Japan and is still not available in Germany despite rumors…

Not news per se (Apple has done this for many years) but it serves as a reminder for those of us who can’t figure out why there aren’t any app updates during the week between Christmas and New Years. The whole company functionally shuts down.

In honor of World AIDS Day, Apple is offering more ways than ever for customers to join (RED) in its mission to create an AIDS-free generation. Apple is the world’s largest corporate contributor to the Global Fund, and this year marks its 10th anniversary of supporting (RED) in the fight to end AIDS.

Here’s some irony for you: now that Apple is apparently abandoning the AirPort Express, the AirPort Extreme, and AirPort Time Capsule, the company ranks highest in overall satisfaction among wireless router manufacturers in a new study by J.P. Power.

The report finds that overall satisfaction with wireless routers has increased by a full 24 points from 2015, and is now 847 (on a 1,000-point scale). Apple ranks highest with a score of 876, followed by ASUS (860), D-Link (856) and TP-Link (854).

While satisfaction has improved in all 10 factors, the largest increase is 30 points in ease of use (which includes the installation process). Another area related to ease of use with the product is restoration of service with minimal effort, in...

Netflix confirmed in a tweet — as noted by USA Today — that subscribers can download some of their favorite programs instead of just streaming ‘em via a broadband connection.

"Airplane mode. Road trip mode. Stuck-in-the-subway-for-20-minutes mode. Your favorite stories are now available for download any time," reads a tweet.

The feature is available now for download on iOS and Android. Eddy Wu, Netflix's director of product innovation told USA Today that the download feature is available on all plans.

On the iOS app, users can visit the menu and discover a section of content "available for download." The selection includes a mix of original programs such as House of Cards and Orange is the New Black, as well as older movies and TV shows from networks such as Parks and Recreation. More shows and movies...

Netflix is now allowing customers to download certain content through their iOS app for offline viewing. Not everything is available for download—with even the Netflix original season of “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life” not making the cut yet—but fan favorites like “Stranger Things,” “Narcos,” and “Orange Is the New Black” are among the early offerings, along with a number of films. Movies…

Netflix wants to make your trip back home this holiday season a little merrier. The company announced on Wednesday that select TV shows and movies were available for download on Android and iOS. In other words, Netflix now enables offline viewing.

It’s not for everything, though. Most of Netflix’s original programming will be covered by the new feature, but some titles may not be due to licensing restrictions.

Having got my maxed-out 15-inch 2016 MacBook Pro set up yesterday, I’ve now been using it for a total of around 12 hours – so I’m calling this one my first real-life usage impressions.

Impressions of the form factor will obviously vary depending on whether you’re coming from a pre-Retina machine – as I was – or a later one. The new machine is smaller, slimmer and sleeker either way, but the difference is of course much more dramatic from a pre-2012 model. And in my case, I’m also moving from a 17-inch machine to a 15-inch one.

For me, then, the form factor is in a completely different league. The base unit is much thinner, and the lid is almost unbelievably so. It’s also significantly lighter. I said...

Apple has announced it is taking part in the (RED) charity fundraiser to combat AIDS for the 10th straight year. Apple is adding four new products to its (PRODUCT)RED lineup, offering an iPhone 7 Smart Battery Case, iPhone SE Case, Beats Solo 3 Wireless On-Ear Headphones and Beats Pill+ Portable Speaker. All of the new products are available starting today. Apple is also donating a dollar to the cause for every purchase made with Apple Pay at the…

Netflix is bringing offline playback to its streaming video service for the first time starting today. This means you won’t need an active Internet connection to watch movies and TV shows which is ideal for travel or other low-connection situations.

DatChat has introduced DatChat for iMessage. It allows iMessage users the ability to easily send or receive self-destructing and screenshot protected messages without ever leaving the iMessage app.

All messages are encrypted and can be un-sent at any time after sending. Additionally, DatChat provides privacy and confidentiality for your messaging without sacrificing the ability to see the entire message at once, according to Darin Myman, co-founder and CEO of DatChat.

Senders can set a message to automatically self-destruct after the exact number of views or time that they choose. At any time a sender can un-send a message by simply pressing the Destruct button. Additionally, users can enable screenshot protection on pictures and texts to further protect their privacy. DatChat for iMessage is available Free on the iMessage App Store for iOS 10 iPhones and iPads.

Apple on Wednesday announced a host of (RED) charity efforts to mark World AIDS Day -- Dec. 1 -- with varying proceeds going to the Global Fund, which as part of its anti-AIDS efforts funds initiatives like testing, prevention, and medication.

Worldwide personal computer (PC) shipments are forecast to decline by 6.4% year over year in 2016, according to an updated forecast from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker. That doesn’t sound good, but it’s an improvement over August's projection for a decline of 7.2% in 2016.

While IDC's outlook for 2017 remains at -2.1% year-over-year growth, the absolute volumes are slightly higher based on stronger 2016 shipments. The third quarter of 2016 (3Q16) saw a year-over-year decline in shipments of 4.6%, more than 2 percentage points ahead of expectations.

Although factors such as the transition to Windows 10 played a role, the 3Q16 gains came largely as a result of stronger momentum in the U.S., Western Europe, and Japan, and were driven by channel build up in anticipation of component shortages in areas such as display panels...

In honor of World AIDS Day, Apple is offering more ways for customers to join (RED) in its mission to create an AIDS-free generation. This is the company’s 10th year supporting the effort.

(RED)’s work addresses the disparity in access to life-saving medication in sub-Saharan Africa, which has the highest prevalence of AIDS on the planet. The money raised by (RED) funds programs that offer counseling, testing, prevention and, most crucially, the life-saving ARV medication that prevents the transmission of HIV from mothers to their unborn babies.

“The gift of life is the most important gift that anyone can give,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook in a press release. “Thanks to the vision and dedication of (RED), an AIDS-free generation is within our reach. We want to leave the world better than we found it, and that’s why our longtime partnership with (RED) remains so important to us.”

This year, Apple customers can support the fight while playing the games they love,...

For Wednesday’s iLounge Deal, we’re offering the Mbeat PowerTone Mini Bluetooth Earpiece and Dual-Port Car Charger for only $29.99 — that’s 24% off the regular price. This smart earpiece and car charger combo lets you place and receive calls in handsfree privacy even if your car doesn’t have Bluetooth capabilities, while the handy dual-port charger keeps your iPhone juiced up while you’re on the road. The earphone even…

Apple is now offering Apple Music Student Memberships in 25 more countries. The discounts provided to students vary based on country. In the U.S., the service is US$4.99 a month instead of the regular $9.99 per month fee.

The student discounts launched on May 6 in the U.S., the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and other countries. To qualify, students must be currently attending an eligible university or college and gain the discount for up to four years. Existing Apple Music subscribers can migrate to the cheaper student tier if they qualify.

As it has done for a decade now, Apple is once more supporting the (RED) campaign to support the fight against HIV/AIDS. Each year, the company turns the store logos red, offers a number of special-edition (RED) products and donates money to the cause.

Apple said that this year offers more opportunities than ever for customers to participate, with 20 of the most popular games in the App Store offering exclusive (RED) in-app purchases, the proceeds of which all go to the campaign’s Global Fund. Apple has also announced the addition of four new special edition products to its (RED) line-up …

A new report from analytical firm KGI has Apple as having its biggest iPhone sales ever come 2017. The new estimates, which cover three anticipated new models, will empower Apple growth with ‘unprecedented’ demand. KGI expects the new phones may sell between 120-150 million units in the second half of next year, eclipsing the previous sales record set by iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

The firm believes that the new form-factor premium OLED iPhone model will encourage high-end customers to upgrades their devices while the low-end 4.7-inch model will feature wireless charging, a glass chassis and attract the lower-end of the market.

KGI reiterates what the firm has said before, in that Apple will debut three new...

If your 27-inch iMac hinge has been wonky, Apple is stepping in to cover it in some cases.

A new report has stated that ome 27-inch iMacs shipped between Dec. 2012 and July 2014 may stop adjusting properly and simply tilt forward,. People who paid to get their hinge fixed may have ended up spending $100 or more.

The affected hinges have apparently made cracking or popping sounds upon breaking. That would support a theory that plastic washers in spring mechanisms are suddenly giving way, unable to cope with the weight of the attached computer.

A repair program that covers the 2012 and 2013 model iMacs has been extended from three to five years from the original date of purchase. Users with a faulty iMac should be able to get their hinge...

This week’s roundup includes some cool new accessories that got their start on Kickstarter. Read on!

Accessport

The Accessport ($19 pledge on Kickstarter) is a “hi-res audio amplifier” for the iPhone 7—an audio accessory for the post-headphone-jack age. It takes the 24-bit audio signal from the phone, decodes it through a digital-to-analog converter, then amplifies and delivers the resulting high-resolution audio to your headphones. The product has already doubled its production goal on Kickstarter; delivery is scheduled for March.

In the earnings call following Apple’s Q4 2016 financial results, UBS managing director Steven Milunovich asked CEO Tim Cook a rather pointed question: ‘Does Apple has a grand strategy for what it wants to do over next 3-5 years? Or does it react to the market then decide?’

Cook was widely felt to be uncomfortable with the question, and Milunovich has now explained why he asked it, and how well prepared he thinks Apple is for the future …

If you have one of the new MacBook Pros with Touch Bar and are frustrated that all legacy ports were replaced by unified Thunderbolt 3/USB-C connectors, consider adding the $249.95 IOGEAR USB-C Docking Station with Power Delivery to your Christmas wish list.

Through a single USB-C connection, it lets you connect monitors, a full-sized keyboard and mouse, external hard drives, printers, webcams, and more. Easy to set up, the all-in-one dock serves up a total of 10 ports.

What sort of ports? USB 3.0, HDMI, audio, microphone/speaker, Ethernet and more. The IOGEAR product works flawlessly and its well designed. A USB 3.0 fast-charging port is located on the front, which means you can charge an iPhone or iPad while working with your laptop.

IOGEAR says you can connect additional displays with HDMI and DisplayPort Multi-Stream Transport in single, mirror, or extend mode. However, though the...

When you're traveling the world like I am right now, you quickly become aware of just how handy extra power outlets -- both the regular type and USB power ports -- can be. Our Apple World Today Deals Shop has a great bargain today on a Kinkoo Surge Protecting Power Strip complete with 3 plug-in outlets and 4 USB power ports (one of which is USB Type-C) for just $24.99.

It's perfect for plugging in a MacBook or two while charging a pair of iPhones and a...

For the average Internet user, security of passwords is often a secondary consideration, right after convenience. Most of us belong to so many different websites requiring passwords that we could never name them all, even if a gun were placed to our heads.

Clicking that little “yes” button when our web browsers automatically ask us if we want to save our password is almost an automatic reflex reaction for some of us. But this practice is actually the worst possible method for keeping your passwords safe. Using a password management system provides infinitely more protection.

Who else has access to your computer?

All that it takes to gain access to all of your passwords is a few seconds in front of your desktop or laptop computer. If you’re in the office and walk away for a quick meeting with the boss, a colleague in the next cubicle can simply slip into our seat and access all of your secret information,...

Apple announced at WWDC in June that Apple Pay would be coming to Spain at some point this year, and Spanish site Applesfera is reporting that the service will launch tomorrow for Banco Santander customers.

The mobile payment system Apple Pay will definitely come to Spain this Thursday, December 1, for Banco Santander customers. Several sources have confirmed to Applesfera that – barring any last-minute changes – the rollout date will be tomorrow …

The holiday shopping season is in full swing, but while you’re considering gifts for friends and family, you should also treat yourself—to new Mac games. November brought another sweet stack of fresh releases, and we’ve picked out the 10 biggest and brightest games worth checking out.

Tuesday November 29

Bozoma Saint John, global marketing executive for Apple Music and iTunes, took part in a brief interview as part of Fortune's Most Powerful Women Next Gen conference on Tuesday, offering those in attendance a lesson in self-confidence she learned as a teenager.

Debuted clandestinely on the iOS App Store earlier this year under another name, Yahoo Answers this week launched as a standalone app providing users native access to the popular, if not entirely accurate, Q&A site.

Apple Music exec Bozoma Saint John was in attendance Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit this evening. Saint John, who joined Apple through the Beats Music acquisition, has become one of the more vocal members of the Apple Music team and earlier this year, a “power lunch” with her was auctioned off for $10,500.

To very little fanfare, Yahoo today released a new mobile application for its Yahoo Answers Q&A service. Yahoo had quietly been testing the service under a different name, Yahoo Hive, but it has since rebranded the app to Yahoo Answers Now and made it fall more inline with the web version (via TechCrunch).

Apple on Tuesday expanded Apple Music student membership eligibility to include more than 30 markets, with the latest round of additions extending the subscription tier to countries like Canada, China, India and more.

Apple today rolled out the student discount tier of Apple Music to over 20 new countries around the globe. As noted by The Financial Post, Apple Music’s student discount offering is now available in Canada, Italy, Japan, and 22 other countries. With today’s new additions, the tier is available in over 30 countries in total.

The German Office for Information Security confirmed on Tuesday that not only had nearly a million routers on the Deutsche Telekom (DT) network been recently attacked but that the assault was part of a larger campaign stretching across the world.

Apple's latest iPhone was barely out of the gate when rumors began percolating about the company's next new phone. Although the iPhone 7 garnered mostly tepid reviews, initial inventories sold out quickly, and the company had to scramble to meet demand. That demand may have peaked, though, which may be why chasers of the next big thing are looking down the road. "Next year being the 10th anniversary of the original iPhone, Apple will come out with something special," said tech analyst Wayne Lam.

Sorrentino’s official title at Wired since 2013 was Head of Creative. His bio at the magazine says his job put him in charge of “the brand’s four creative departments — design, photo, video, and production, and is responsible for cross-channel brand presence, including print, web, digital editions, mobile, social media, retail, and live events.”

Before Wired, Sorrentino was the design director at Condé Nast’s Editorial Development Group, a development-focused editorial skunkworks tasked with leading the company’s digital publishing strategy. In less than two years, Sorrentino and team partnered with the leaders of Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair...

Apple is adding a new member to its design team, as Billy Sorrentino, Wired magazine's Head of Creative, on Tuesday announced he will depart the publication to take on an undisclosed role at the Cupertino tech giant.

On a regular basis, Apple World Today posts a list of notable new apps or app updates that have been released. They may not necessarily be new, but they're popular and deserve mention. Here are today's picks.

macOS Apps/Updates

Ergonis Software’s Typinator 7, a new version of their text expander for the Mac,, boasts a long list of compelling new features and slick enhancements. It offers interactive forms with multi-line text fields, alternatives, and options, assistants for creating complex snippets, publishing and subscribing of sets, and more.

Typinator 7 requires macOS 10.6 or later. It can be purchased on the Ergonis Software website. The upgrade to Typinator 7.0 is free for anyone who purchased a license for Typinator 6.x on or after Jan. 1, 2016. Upgrade paths are available for owners of older licenses. For information about purchases, including enterprise licenses, volume...

The AWT News Update is on hiatus while my compadre, Steve, takes a road trip. In its place, I’ll offer a text-only (no podcast) summary of breaking stories with a tip o’ my hat to my former website, Apple Daily Report.

Apple has internally announced it will issue a refund to customers who previously paid for an iMac display hinge replacement or repair, according to a recently updated service document obtained by MacRumors. These repairs could often cost upwards of $100, according to reports from affected users.

A recent Freedom of Information Act filing has revealed that Apple's ambitions still extend into cardiac monitoring technologies, with meetings scheduled between the Apple Watch maker and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration over...

According to a new report from Recode, Apple has recently hired one of the top editors from Wired to join its design team. Billy Sorrentino is Wired’s creative director and while the publication confirmed that he will be joining Apple’s design team, it couldn’t offer more details or specifics at this point.

HomeKit-connected accessories have gradually become more affordable and plentiful since the technology was first introduced, but there’s still room for improvement. Looking to remedy some of the problems with Apple’s connected home platform, Silicon Labs is today announcing a new initiative that it hopes will make it both cheaper and easier for developers to create HomeKit accessories.

Although the iPhone’s Clock app doesn’t often see many changes, Apple snuck an interesting new feature into iOS 10 that allows your iPhone to perform basic sleep tracking without any additional accessories. In the app, you’ll find a new Bedtime section that lets you set up bedtime reminders and wakeup alarms that work separately from the normal clock alarms....

IK Multimedia's new iLoud Micro Monitor is the company's second foray into the speaker market, building on its impressive 2013 iLoud in the form of a pair of monitors which can be used with a variety of sources, ranging from Bluetooth to traditional wired inputs, with a design that remains focused for use in a small home or project studio environment. Much like IK Multimedia's original iLoud, the new iLoud Micro Monitor is engineered to provide unblemished, sonically accurate reference sound with no coloration — the kind of transparency that serious musicians and audio engineers are looking for.{/exp:char_limit}...

If you took advantage of one of the many recent Apple Watch deals over at 9to5Toys, then you may find yourself in the market for a new band or two. There are many third-party band options available for the Apple Watch, but I’ve always enjoyed some of the offerings from Monowear.

Apple will issue refunds to some iMac owners who had to pay for recent hinge repairs, a report said on Tuesday. In Belgium and Norway, meanwhile, the company has added carrier billing as option for iTunes and App Store purchases.

I love a great compressor in my mixes. Universal Audio has the best audio plug-ins on the market and the new API 2500 Bus Compressor is no exception. There is a video on the page, as well as audio examples.

Facebook has denied that its network and Messenger app were being used to spread ransomware to its users, contradicting the claims of Check Point researchers Roman Ziakin and Dikla Barda.
The two researchers last week reported they had discovered a new method for delivering malicious code to machines, which they dubbed "ImageGate." Threat actors had found a way to embed malicious code into an image, they said. Due to a flaw in the social media infrastructure, infected images are downloaded to a user's machine, Ziakin and Barda explained.

The ride-hailing app, which expanded into Europe five years ago, has come under attack from established taxi companies and some EU countries because it is not bound by strict local licensing and safety rules which apply to some of its competitors.

Uber’s dispute with Barcelona’s main taxi operator, which in 2014 accused it of running an illegal taxi service via its UberPOP service, is seen as a landmark case which could lead the Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ) to label it a transport company rather than a digital service.

That is the crux of the argument—is Uber a transport or digital company? Arguments can be made for both sides. I haven’t used a taxi since Uber and Lyft started offering their service. All the legal arguments aside, the app-based services are much better, friendlier, and professional than any taxi service I’ve ever used.

Shoppers spent $3.45 billion on Cyber Monday on Samsung 4K TVs, PlayStation 4s and Barbie dolls among other products, marking the largest online sales day in U.S. history.

Top-selling electronics by units on the day include Sony’s PlayStation 4 and Microsoft’s Xbox gaming consoles as well as Samsung 4K TVs, Apple iPhones and Amazon’s Fire tablets.

Wow, that is a lot of money. I find it interesting that many of the electronic items are in the high-end category, but yet Amazon’s Fire tablet made the list. It makes me wonder how consumers view the tablet category.

Cyber Monday has come and gone, and with it, some great flash deals and many stock-outs. But dozens of killer offers still remain, such as exclusive savings on 2016 MacBook Pros, 12" MacBooks, and even $450 off a Thunderbolt display.

Netflix on a flight? No way, you say? The idea has seemed out of reach for years, because Netflix doesn’t let its U.S. subscribers download video for offline viewing.

However, rumors suggest customers in countries with unreliable broadband may soon get the feature. Meanwhile, in-flight Wi-Fi provider Gogo is working to upgrade the speed of its service on airplanes to support streaming video. Other competitors, including Viasat, offer fast, video-friendly service via satellite. And Amazon Prime members can download some Prime video to their mobile devices...

An anonymous reader writes:One of the things an Apple Mac can do that Windows 10 machines can't do -- at least easily and completely legally -- is run both Windows and MacOS. Interestingly, it's Apple's Boot Camp utility that makes this feat possible, which essentially enables Macs of all flavors to boot directly to Windows 10 and use the Mac as if it were a Windows machine. Usually, this is a fairly straightforward process that works well, with the resulting Boot Camp configuration doing fairly well at mimicking a Windows 10 machine with a few hardware limitations. As of the 2016 MacBook Pro machines, however, it appears that Boot Camp might be causing some serious and uncharacteristic audio issues. It appears that the new speakers running on the refreshed MacBook Pro line aren't working so well with the obsolete drivers provided in the current version of MacOS Sierra Boot Camp. Users are reporting the issue on all models of the 2016 MacBook Pro, and they are not experiencing the...

Researchers claim that only about 6 percent of U.S. homes currently have some form of home automation facilitated by iOS devices, which isn't surprising given the higher costs of these emerging technologies. Here's a look at how you can take advantage of the holiday sales to get in on the trend while on a budget.

People are still lining up to snag a brand new iPhone 7, but that won’t stop anyone from speculating about next year’s iPhone. Why so early? Well, 2017 marks the iPhone’s 10th birthday, so Apple is reportedly gearing up to make its anniversary edition extra special.

We’ll keep track of the latest rumors and how plausible they are, and we’ll put them in one spot (this one!) so you can bookmark this link and just pop on over when you want to read the latest.

If you passed on the iPhone 7 to wait for the iPhone 8—or whatever name Apple decides to use—it sounds like next year’s phone could be the design refresh you were waiting for. Just don’t expect the headphone jack to return.

Apple confirmed today that iTunes Connect will be unavailable for a five-day period lasting from December 23 to 27. The pre-announced shut down is part of Apple’s annual time off period for app reviewers at the company.

Apple’s HomeKit feature makes automating and remotely controlling your holiday lights super simple, and iOS 10’s new Home app makes setting it all up this year easier than ever before. With one or two affordable accessories and an iPhone or iPad, you can put HomeKit and Siri to work and forget about fiddly timers or unplugging and plugging lights back in for a month.

New submitter petersike writes: If you're using iCloud to sync your calendar across your devices, chances are you just received a bunch of spammy invites over the last few days. Many users are reporting fake events about Black Friday 'deals' coming from Chinese users. If you're looking for cheap Ray-Ban or Louis Vuitton knockoffs, you might find these invites useful. Otherwise, you might be wondering: why is this a thing? If you use your calendar for work, you already rely on calendar invites to invite other people to meetings and events. All major calendar backends support this feature -- Google Calendar, Microsoft Exchange and Apple's iCloud. And it's quite a convenient feature as you only need to enter an email address to send these invitations. You don't need to be in the same company or even in your recipient's address book. But it's also yet another inbox -- and like every inbox out there, it can get abused.

Facebook’s new Instant Games platform is as much about reorienting its social empire back toward gaming as much as it is cutting out the mobile apps that have threatened its hegemony on phones and tablets.

The new Instant Games platform, launched Tuesday, is an HTML5-based gaming platform that eliminates the need to download the recent Facebook Gameroom app. Seventeen games—including arcade classics as Space Invaders and Pac-Man as well as more modern games like EverWing and Words with Friends: Frenzy — can now be launched directly from your News Feed, rather than forcing users to dig them out from the left-hand sidebar. More importantly, in-app games can now be launched within both the Facebook mobile apps as well as Messenger—again, without the...

Raising the bar even before Apple's rumored entry into the "smartspeaker" market, Amazon is at work on a new "Echo-like" model which will have a 7-inch touchscreen and high-end audio, a report said on Tuesday.

The U.S. Court of Appeals has denied Samsung's bid for a second re-hearing of the storied 2014 patent trial with apple, covering auto-correct, quick links, and slide-to-unlock, and is now on the hook for the $119.6 million ruling.

Emails obtained by MobiHealthNews show Apple has been meeting with the FDA since July about two cardiac monitoring products. In the messages, Apple lawyer Robin Goldstein discussed “an introductory meeting where we will want to talk about two possible (and related) products in the cardiac space, as well as the associated regulatory and quality systems and requirements.” The emails don’t contain any information about the products,…

The latest --?and more affordable -- high-profile entrant into the emerging virtual reality space, PlayStation VR, is off to a successful start, suggesting consumers are more interested in advanced VR technology if it's available in a simple and economical product.

Software Updates via MacUpdate

EtreCheck 3.1.5 - For troubleshooting yo...

EtreCheck is an app that displays the important details of your system configuration and allow you to copy that information to the Clipboard. It is meant to be used with Apple Support Communities to... Read more

WALTR 2 2.0.8 - $39.95

WALTR 2 helps you wirelessly drag-and-drop any music, ringtones, videos, PDF, and ePub files onto your iPhone, iPad, or iPod without iTunes. It is the second major version of Softorino's critically-... Read more

Carbon Copy Cloner 4.1.12 - Easy-to-use...

Carbon Copy Cloner backups are better than ordinary backups. Suppose the unthinkable happens while you're under deadline to finish a project: your Mac is unresponsive and all you hear is an ominous,... Read more

Dropbox 16.3.27 - Cloud backup and synch...

Dropbox is an application that creates a special Finder folder that automatically syncs online and between your computers. It allows you to both backup files and keep them up-to-date between systems... Read more

Microsoft OneNote 15.29 - Free digital n...

OneNote is your very own digital notebook. With OneNote, you can capture that flash of genius, that moment of inspiration, or that list of errands that's too important to forget. Whether you're at... Read more

Spotify 1.0.44.100. - Stream music, crea...

Spotify is a streaming music service that gives you on-demand access to millions of songs. Whether you like driving rock, silky R&B, or grandiose classical music, Spotify's massive catalogue puts... Read more

SpamSieve 2.9.27 - Robust spam filter fo...

SpamSieve is a robust spam filter for major email clients that uses powerful Bayesian spam filtering.
SpamSieve understands what your spam looks like in order to block it all, but also learns what... Read more

VueScan 9.5.62 - Scanner software with a...

VueScan is a scanning program that works with most high-quality flatbed and film scanners to produce scans that have excellent color fidelity and color balance. VueScan is easy to use, and has... Read more

Fantastical 2.3.2 - Create calendar even...

Fantastical 2 is the Mac calendar you'll actually enjoy using. Creating an event with Fantastical is quick, easy, and fun:
Open Fantastical with a single click or keystroke
Type in your event... Read more

PCalc 4.4.4 - Full-featured scientific c...

PCalc is a full-featured, scriptable scientific calculator with support for hexadecimal, octal, and binary calculations, as well as an RPN mode, programmable functions, and an extensive set of unit... Read more

Latest Forum Discussions

Galaxy on Fire 3 - Manticore brings the series back for another round of daring space battles. It's familiar territory for folks who are familiar with the franchise. If you've beaten the game and are looking to broaden your horizons, might we... | Read more »

The best apps for your holiday gift exch...

What's that, you say? You still haven't started your holiday shopping? Don't beat yourself up over it -- a lot of people have been putting it off, too. It's become easier and easier to procrastinate gift shopping thanks to a number of apps that... | Read more »

MyTona, based in the chilly Siberian city of Yakutsk, has brought a little festive fun to its hidden object game Seekers Notes: Hidden Mystery. The Christmas update introduces some new inhabitants to players, and with them a chance to win plenty of... | Read more »

PINE GROVE 1.0
Device: iOS Universal
Category: Games
Price: $1.99, Version: 1.0 (iTunes)
Description:
A pine grove where there are no footsteps of people due to continuous missing cases. The case is still unsolved and nothing has... | Read more »

Niantic teases new Pokémon announcement...

After rumors started swirling yesterday, it turns out there is an official Pokémon GO update on its way. We’ll find out what’s in store for us and our growing Pokémon collections tomorrow during the Starbucks event, but Niantic will be revealing... | Read more »

3 reasons why Nicki Minaj: The Empire is...

Nicki Minaj is as business-savvy as she is musically talented and she’s proved that by launching her own game. Designed by Glu, purveyors of other fine celebrity games like cult favorite Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, Nicki Minaj: The Empire launched... | Read more »

Clash of Clans is getting its own animat...

Riding on its unending wave of fame and success, Clash of Clans is getting an animated web series based on its Clash-A-Rama animated shorts.As opposed to the current shorts' 60 second run time, the new and improved Clash-A-Rama will be comprised of... | Read more »

Leaks hint at Pokémon GO and Starbucks C...

Leaked images from a hub for Starbucks employees suggests that a big Pokémon GO event with the coffee giant could begin this very week. The images appeared on Reddit and hint at some exciting new things to come for Niantic's smash hit game.
| Read more »

Price Scanner via MacPrices.net

Never Settle for Low Performing Wifi With iOS...

AppYogi Software has announced the release of WiFi Signal Strength Status App 1.0, the company’s new utility developed exclusively for macOS. WiFi Signal Strength Status App features a unique, single... Read more

DietSensor, Inc., a developer of smart food and nutrition applications designed to fight diabetes and obesity and help improve overall fitness, has announced the launch of its DietSensor app for... Read more

Best Buy has dropped their price on the 64GB Apple TV to $159.99 including free shipping. That’s $40 off MSRP.
32GB Apple TVs are on sale right now for $98 on Sams Club’s online store. That’s $51 off... Read more

12-inch Retina MacBooks, Apple refurbished, n...

Apple has restocked a full line of Certified Refurbished 2016 12″ Retina MacBooks, now available for $200-$260 off MSRP. Refurbished 2015 models are available starting at $929. Apple will include a... Read more

Apple has Certified Refurbished 13″ MacBook Airs available starting at $849. An Apple one-year warranty is included with each MacBook, and shipping is free:
- 13″ 1.6GHz/8GB/128GB MacBook Air: $849 $... Read more

Apple refurbished iMacs available for up to $...

Apple has Certified Refurbished 2015 21″ & 27″ iMacs available for up to $350 off MSRP. Apple’s one-year warranty is standard, and shipping is free. The following models are available:
- 21″ 3.... Read more

MacTech is a registered trademark of Xplain Corporation. Xplain, "The journal of Apple technology", Apple Expo, Explain It, MacDev, MacDev-1, THINK Reference, NetProfessional, Apple Expo, MacTech Central, MacTech Domains, MacNews, MacForge, and the MacTutorMan are trademarks or service marks of Xplain Corporation. Sprocket is a registered trademark of eSprocket Corporation. Other trademarks and copyrights appearing in this printing or software remain the property of their respective holders. Not responsible for typographical errors.

All contents are Copyright 1984-2011 by Xplain Corporation. All rights reserved. Theme designed by Icreon.